Re: [Darren Naish: New archaeopterygid and early macronarian papers]

[David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

> Tischlinger, H. 2005. Neue Information zum Berliner
> Exemplar von _Archaeopteryx lithographica_ H. v, Meyer
> 1861. _Archaeopteryx_ 23, 33-50.
>
> New historical data on the Berlin specimen, but most
> noteworthy is new UV data on the specimen. Outstanding
> photos reveal.... a complete postorbital bar! It's clearly
> there, forming a gently concave caudal margin to the orbit.
> Outstanding.

Speechless!

:-)

> Elzanowski, A., Manegold, A. & Peters, D. S. 2005.
> Redescriptio of a skull of _Confuciusornis sanctus_.
> _Archaeopteryx_ 23, 51-55.
>
> Taking issue with Goernemann (1999), some new data is
> provided. Some specimens have an incomplete postorbital
> bar - incomplete apparently because it is a secondary
> ossification in this taxon (the authors couldn't have known
> about the former paper while writing their MS) - and some
> appear to lack it.

Depending on the phylogenetic positions of Archie and maybe the 
alvarezsaurids, it might indeed be secondary...